Australia's youth were lied to this year. They were told in classroom after classroom that Australia wants them to become outstanding doctors, lawyers, nurses, scientists and academics.

No-one wants any such thing. What is really required of them is to have a full life on the dole.

Brad Thompson, a social planning consultant contracted to the federal government Youth Affairs Bureau, was one of the first to admit we made a mistake. “We should have told those classes that their generation owes it to our generation to do without so that the rest of us can have jobs.”

“It doesn't count for a kid to climb the ladder of success without a little sacrifice along the way”, I said.

Thompson continued. “Our message should have been that none of us can get fortunate in the lucky country if young people demand work and adult wages. What do they want to do: leave home?”

“I remember when I finished school how much I looked forward to a life of leisure. I couldn't have cared less about upward mobility.”

Thompson became agitated. “I know what we should have told them. This country will be great only when more kids stay at school.”

“We should have made the point that because we have cut our intake of unskilled migrants, everyone with an engineering degree should be out there cleaning toilets.”

Thompson said, “Higher education means very little if there are no clean rest rooms. I don't want someone to lecture me on what's wrong with the world. I want my Big Mac straightaway -- and with a smile. We don't need more doctors and teachers -- not while the country is crying out for more girls on the checkouts and youngsters to deliver pizza.”

“Why is there such a shortage of willing young workers?”, I asked Thompson.

“Nobody will work”, he replied. “The trouble is that kids don't think f$5 per hour is a fair wage for serving french fries.

“Attitudes have changed. At one time the greatest thrill in the world for a young person was to wait on their friends. Now they all want to be waited on. Both the haves and have-nots want somebody else to do the menial work. The haves want it all; the have-nots want it anyway. But nobody wants to work for it.”

“If everyone is on their backside, how will the advertising fliers get into the letterbox?”, I pointed out.

“We've made a lot of mistakes with education in this country”, he said. “We shouldn't have told the students their job is to save the planet. We should have assured them that the best that they can do is to stay out of the rat race.”

“Even if we said the wrong thing, they shouldn't have listened”, I added.

Thompson nodded. “Not one of those youngsters has a right to demand a share of the action if he or she hasn't done their term of unemployment. This country cannot survive if its youth insist on bypassing the dole.”

... Dave Riley

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